Rendering Database Queries with Blank Space

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a request for a report including data to be retrieved from a database; providing a user input allowing for a blank space to be inserted in the report at a specified location; wherein the designation of the blank space is manually inserted at the specified location; wherein the blank space is a designation of one or more of: a blank row and a blank column; determining when the manually inputted designation of the blank space relates to the blank row; determining when the manually inputted designation of the blank space relates to the blank column; and in response to the manually input designation of the blank space: generating a database query including an instruction configured to add a member to the database that will produce a blank member at the specified location within the report when the report is rendered and the query is executed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one added member further comprises a calculated member of the database.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the providing of the input further comprises providing a first input allowing for a blank space to be inserted in the report at a first specified location, and providing a second input allowing for a blank space to be inserted in the report at a second specified location; and the generating of the database query further comprises generating a database query including an instruction configured to: add a first member to a first dimension of the database that will produce a blank member at the specified location; add a second member to a second dimension of the database that will produce a blank member at the specified location; and execute a cross-join of the first dimension of the database with the second dimension of the database such that the first specified location and the second specified location coincide.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating a database query further comprises generating a database query including an instruction configured to: associate a first dimension of the database with rows; and add a member to the database that will produce a blank row at the specified location.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein: the providing the input further comprises providing a first input allowing for a blank space to be inserted in the report at a first specified location, and providing a second input allowing for a blank space to be inserted in the report at a second specified location; and the generating of the database query further comprises generating a database query including an instruction configured to: add a first member to the first dimension of the database that will produce a blank row at the specified location; associate a second dimension of the database with rows; add a second member to the second dimension of the database that will produce a blank row at the specified location; and execute a cross-join of the first dimension of the database with the second dimension of the database such that the first specified location and the second specified location coincide.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the generating a database query further comprises generating a database query including an instruction configured to: associate a first dimension of the database with columns; and add a member to the database that will produce a blank column at the specified location.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating a database query further comprises generating a database query including an instruction configured to: associate a first dimension of the database with columns; and add a member to the database that will produce a blank column at the specified location.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the database further comprises a database configured for On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating a database query further comprises generating a database query using Multidimensional Expression (MDX) statements.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing an input allowing for a blank space further comprises providing an input allowing for a blank space to be inserted in the report at a position relative to other members.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising: selecting a first member of a first dimension of a database to be included at a first location in a report, the first member including first data to be retrieved from a database; selecting a blank space to be added at a second location relative to the first location; wherein selecting the blank space comprises manually receiving the selection of the blank space from a user; wherein the selection of the blank space is a designation of where to insert the blank space within the report; wherein the blank space is a designation of one or more of: a blank row and a blank column; and generating a database query including: a first instruction to retrieve first data included in the first member, wherein the first instruction is located at a first position in the query and wherein the first data will appear in the report at the first location; and a second instruction to retrieve a null set of data, wherein the second instruction is located at a second position in the query and wherein the null set of data will appear in the report at the second location; wherein when the database query is executed the report is rendered with the blank space as specified by the user.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: causing the database query to be executed against the database; receiving a result of the database query; and causing the result of the database query to be presented as the report, wherein the first data is presented at the first location and the null set of data appears as the blank space at the second location.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selecting a first member of the first dimension of the database further comprises selecting a first member of the first dimension of the database based on a hierarchical relationship to a related member, wherein the first member is to be included at a first location in the report.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: in response to a database update, automatically selecting a second member of the first dimension of the database based on the hierarchical relationship to the related member, wherein the second member is to be included at a third location in the report and include third data to be retrieved from the database; and in response to the database update, generating an updated database query including: a first instruction to retrieve first data included in the first member, wherein the first instruction is located at a first position in the query and wherein the first data will appear in the report at the first location; a second instruction to retrieve a null set of data, wherein the second instruction is located at a second position in the query and wherein the null set of data will appear in the report at the second location; and a third instruction to retrieve third data included in the third member, wherein the third instruction is located at a third position in the query and wherein the third data will appear in the report at the third location.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: causing the updated database query to be executed against the updated database in response to the automatically selecting the second member; receiving an updated result of the database query; and causing the updated result of the updated database query to be presented as an updated report, wherein the first data is presented at the first location, the null set of data appears as the blank space at the second location, and the third data is presented at the third location.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second location is a location relative to a group comprising the first location and the third location.

17. A computer readable medium storing a query to a database including: a declaration of at least one null member of the database containing a null caption; wherein the declaration of the at least one of at least one null member of the database containing the null caption is determined in response to a manual selection of a blank space; wherein the blank space is a designation of one or more of: a blank row and a blank column; a first instruction to retrieve data included in at least one member of the database, wherein the data will appear in the report at a first location; and a second instruction to retrieve a null set of data associated with the at least one null member, wherein the null set of data will appear in the report at a second location; wherein when the database query is executed a report is rendered with the blank space as specified by the user.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the at least one member of the database further comprises a first member of a first dimension of the database to be included at a first location in the report, the first member including first data to be retrieved from the database; and the at least one null member further comprises a first null member of the first dimension of the database containing a first null caption to be included at the second location, wherein the second location is a location relative to the first location.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the at least one member of the database further comprises a second member of a second dimension of the database to be included at a third location in the report, the second member including second data to be retrieved from the database; and the at least one null member further comprises a second null member of the second dimension of the database containing a second null caption to be included at a forth location relative to the second member.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the query further comprises a database query using Multidimensional Expression (MDX) statements.